“We apologise to the fans for whatever happened. We are more disappointed than the fans themselves,” bemoaned a perplexed Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the post-match press conference after losing to England.

India confirmed their exit from the World Twenty20 tournament with their defeat by Paul Collingwood's men and the match against South Africa has turned out to be one of no-consequence.

Skipper Dhoni’s immediate apology was not received well by the fans back home as they took to the streets burning his effigies in response. The man who was portrayed as the ‘Universal T20 Hero’ in 2007 by the world media suddenly finds himself as the eyesore of even the local media.

It is good for Team India, especially Dhoni, not to return home soon after the last match in the Twenty20 tournament in England against the Proteas.

Such is the level of frustration mounting back home among fans and former players regarding his strategies, which were once hailed as well-thought-out and intelligent.

Dhoni is being portrayed as a selfish, overconfident and closed-minded leader who listens to no-one, but his own whims and fancies leading to the team’s breakdown in morale. Tricky questions and teasing comments are awaiting him back home.

As far as the BCCI are concerned, their task is to prevent anything undesirable from happening. With the team’s poor show in England, they may be forced to cut down Dhoni’s decision-making privileges in future regarding team selection and formulation of game plans.

He has proved many time that he does not tolerate such things. Don’t forget the media speculation which came up months ago regarding Dhoni’s offer to quit captaincy when RP Singh was dropped by the selectors against his wishes.

Certain news channels in India seem to have gone mad with the team’s poor show. They are fully engrossed in lambasting the skipper’s experimentation (or rather tinkering) with the batting order, costing the team their chance of defending the title.

After feasting non-stop on a speculated rift between the skipper and his deputy, the Indian media have got the new catch. On returning from England, Dhoni will have a range of questions to answer:

  • Why was Ravindra Jadeja sent in ahead of Yuvraj Singh to bat in the match against England?
  • Shouldn’t Dhoni have used his best weapon (Yuvraj) instead of a newcomer like Jadeja, in time of crisis?
  • Why was Pragyan Ojha, the best bowler in the team at present, benched in decisive matches?
  • Why didn’t Dhoni exploit the services of his seamers Irfan Pathan and RP Singh well in crucial stages?

It's time for the ifs, buts and whys to be answered. Explanations will be demanded and answers expected; crucial decisions may be taken and heads may roll. More walk-outs may happen during press conferences in the days to come.

The skipper himself has shown this tendency to do so, when teased during a press conference prior to the beginning of the event when asked about his rift with Sehwag.

But Dhoni’s walk-outs may not be tolerated any more by even his most diehard fans. The hero of 2007 has turned villain in 2009. Yes, folks, the blame game has begun!